Agencies/New York


Martina Hingis and Leander Paes once again proved to be a potent partnership as the Swiss-Indo duo captured their third mixed doubles title of the year with victory at the US Open on Friday.
The Australian Open and Wimbledon champions came back from 4-1 down in the championship tie-break to storm to victory with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 win over Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey.
The win means Hingis and Paes have become the first duo to capture three major mixed titles in the same year since Margaret Court and Marty Riessen achieved the feat in 1969.
The triumph earned 42-year-old Paes a career ninth mixed doubles trophy and 17th Grand Slam title while Hingis took her overall Grand Slam tally to 19 (five singles, 10 women’s doubles and four mixed).
“I just love to play tennis and I am fortunate to have Leander as my partner,” Hingis told reporters. Paes added: “Martina is a legend on and off the court. She’s my best friend. She’s just fantastic.”
Hingis could add to her haul when she teams up with another Indian, Sania Mirza, in the women’s doubles final.
The win gives Hingis her first title at the US Open since 1998 and her first mixed doubles title here. It also marks Paes' second mixed doubles title at the US Open, having last won in 2008 with Cara Black.
Paes surpassed fellow Indian Mahesh Bhupathi to now hold more Grand Slam mixed doubles title than any other man in the Open era. Only Martina Navratilova holds more titles with 10.
Paes and Hingis also became the first mixed doubles team since 1969 to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in the same year, having won at the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.
It appeared that the unseeded Americans would prevail when they won both points on Hingis' serve to grab the first mini-break and a 4-1 lead in the deciding third set. But Hingis and Paes took the mini-break back on Mattek-Sands' serve at the next opportunity.
The crucial point of the match came at 7-7, when Paes blocked Querrey's serve for a clean passing-shot winner. He then won both points on his serve to close out the match, hitting an overhead winner on their first match point and then lifting Hingis in celebration.